Academic Nurse Educators' Experiences and Perceptions of Supporting Adult Nursing Students in Clinical Placements in Nursing Homes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

AIM: This paper explores nurse educators' perceptions of nursing home placements and their experiences of supporting adult nursing students undertaking placements within them. BACKGROUND: The global population is ageing and requires the provision of skilled Registered Nurses to meet their needs. However, concerns exist that students do not view nursing homes favourably compared to hospital placements. DESIGN: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with eight nurse educators were conducted online between December 2020 and March 2021 and transcribed verbatim. The cross-group analysis elicited individual and shared experiences. RESULTS: A curriculum focussed on hospital-based technical skills can result in placement settings such as nursing homes becoming overlooked within nurse education. Participants suggested that student, faculty and nursing home nurses' negative perceptions of the value of nursing home clinical placements make it more challenging to build trusting relationships, and support everyone involved in nursing homes to recognise the potential of their skills and contribution to nurse education. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that negative perceptions of nursing home placements are apparent in the nursing faculty and those who support nursing home placements are unwittingly contributing to these negative perceptions, the Registered Nurses who work in them and the skills practised within them. Student nurses are therefore unprepared and unwilling to work in nursing homes, and nursing home staff lack confidence in supporting nursing students. Implementing Care Home Education Facilitators (CHEF) could be a first step to improving this situation. Nurse educators are challenged to ensure the nursing curriculum actively addresses the value of fundamental care throughout the nurse education programme and supports student nurses undertaking clinical placements in nursing homes. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nursing home RNs require better support in their educational roles to improve student experiences of clinical placements in these settings. While technical skills are important for students to learn, overemphasis on them within nurse education programmes can lead to a deficit in the preparation of nurses to deliver fundamental complex care to older people.